Confusion
by illmtl
Summary: Basically a simple Kel fic, where Joren is Ok or is he? Please R/R I'm not sure if it's a good story. Um just to add to that Joren is not crazy or anything he just has a cunning plan, so cunning you could brush your teeth with it.
1. Chapter 1

Okay, okay, you know the drill none of this is mine except for the plot so don't sue me for anything ok.

  
  


Intro: This Story starts in the Autumn at the beginning of Kel and Neal's second year as squires so Kel is 15 and Neal is 20, Joren is beginning his fourth year as a squire and is about 17.

  
  


Confusion

  
  


Kel was returning from a tilting session with her knight master, Sir Raoul of Goldenlake and Malorie's Peak. Being the size he is, Sir Raoul constantly knocked Kel from her saddle. As she turned into the corridor where her room was, she was checking her arms for bruises. Hearing knocking she looked up and saw someone knocking at her door. 

It was Joren of Stone Mountain, a Fourth year Squire. She cleared her throat loudly and he turned to stare.

"There you are," he said, no hint of malice in that beautiful voice of his, "I've got to tell you something."

"Fire away," was Kel's reply.

"Well, you know how I kind of hired those two men to... well ... kidnap your maid... well... I did it for Vinson in revenge for what that b- I mean maid did to him with the sparrows and all. You do understand that I'm not like Vinson, I don't want revenge for anything-"

"This is Joren I'm talking to, right?" Kel asked, suspicious,

"Look," he said, suddenly uncomfortable, "Can we continue our conversation in your room?"

"Ok," Kel replied, she moved, opened the door and went inside, Joren followed her, "But I think I'll leave the door ope-" she was cut of by Joren's closing of the door, "Ok, door closed, continue then."

"Well... what I really came to say was... well... I really like you Kel, the thing with... you know when we were pages that... well... I didn't like you being a page, I still don't but somehow through all that I really like you and want you to trust me again."

"Again," Kel repeated, "Well, I never actually trusted you before, and I heard this kind of speech coming from your mouth before Lalasa was kidnaped . I don't see how I can trust you this time after what happened a year ago b-"

"Say no more," he said, somewhat hurriedly, "I wanted to give you something to help prove myself to you." And with that he swept Kel into a very passionate kiss, which startled her completely so she had closed her eye's but she reopened them and suddenly she was sinking in those beautiful blue eyes and had started to kiss back when she came to her senses and pushed Joren off herself, opened the door again and pushing him out the door mumbled about getting ready for lunch and thinking about what he had said. She closed the door and leant against it. After a minute she stripped and slipped into her bath to have a soak before lunch. While she soaked, she contemplated what had just happened.

Joren stood and stared at the door for a minute considering his next move. Suddenly a smirk spread across his face and he walked off looking very pleased with himself.

Kel couldn't decide whether or not to tell Neal and the others. After some time nothing else concerning Joren had happened so she let it go. This was a big mistake.

  
  


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	2. Chapter 2

Okay, okay, you know the drill none of this is mine except for the plot so don't sue me for anything ok.

  
  


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Months passed and winter closed in. As Midwinter approached King Jonathan decided that the Squires deserve a treat. A ball was planned for all the Court and the Squires were expected to attend as part of their training. Kel didn't plan to go, but on the day of the ball she got two requests for a dance, Cleon of Kennan, a member of their study group and fourth year squire, and... Joren! She accepted Cleon's request and rushed to Lalasa, her maid. After Kel had explained the situation, Lalasa looked quite pleased with herself.

"What is it?" Asked Kel, "Why are you smiling like that?"

"Well it's like this miss Kel, I thought that you might be going to the ball. So I made a dress but when I asked you if you'd be going, you said no. But I thought that you would need a dress for formal situations sometime so I continued to make it and I finished it just now," explained Lalasa.

"Lalasa!" Exclaimed Kel, "you're a lifesaver," as Lalasa held up the dress, which was a pale green in a style that would let her move, yet still look graceful.

"Now miss Kel if you're to be ready in time for the ball you'd best start now," Lalasa said and gently pushed Kel into her change room to bathe and then put on the dress. When Kel had put it on and looked in the mirror she was impressed. The dress snugly fitted her tall, well-built frame and brought forth the green of her usually hazel eyes. After 20 minutes of arguing with Lalasa, Kel agreed to wearing some face paint, but only a little. The next problem posed was Kel's hair, in her year and a half as a Squire her hair had grown past her shoulders and she commonly kept it in a tail to which Lalasa said no, it just wasn't right to wear her hair in a tail to a ball of all places.

Somehow just as the bell rang to signal the beginning of supper, for the pages, and the beginning of the ball for those who were attending, Lalasa managed to finish pulling up Kel's hair. Seconds later Cleon knocked on the door, Lalasa admitted him along with several other squires, Neal, Merric, and Seaver among them. When Kel came out of the dressing room, having one last look at herself in the mirror, they all stared and Neal commented,

"We have got the right room for pre ball inspection, don't we? I mean this is Keladry of Mindelan's room, isn't it?"

"Of course it is, Neal," replied Kel,

"This damsel it seems knows my name but I don't know hers, have we met or do you know my name by reputation," Kel, suddenly very annoyed at Neal, replied,

"Of course we've met Neal." Neal's interested expression turned to one of mocking shock and then he laughed and said,

"I knew it was you all along, I just wanted to see how mad you would get." Kel muttered something that sounded quite like typical and various names of varying rudeness. They arrived at the ball soon after. Cleon asked Kel for the first dance and she accepted, wanting to get away from Merric and Seaver who had just started cracking jokes about Neal's welcome to Kel. The dance was a slow one and Cleon held Kel tightly, a bit closer than her comfort allowed, she was looking around the room when she noticed Joren staring at her, he took the hand of a pretty girl and dragged her onto the dance floor, all the time making for the area where Kel and Cleon were dancing. Soon they were beside each other and Joren cut on Cleon in leaving Kel helpless in the arms of Joren.

"You look very beautiful tonight," he murmured in her ear, just as the song finished. She returned to her seat wanting to get away from Joren. Kel sat down, waiting for this dratted ball to end. The second song ended and suddenly Neal was in front of her,

"Care to dance, pretty lady,"

"Yes, thank you, and I'll be sure to step on each and every toe for all this teasing of my appearance," she replied, quite viciously. Kel and Neal danced for quite a while, several dances in fact before he spotted one of the un-married and un-betrothed ladies who were to his liking. Kel again returned to her seat followed by a sad Neal, this lady obviously wasn't interested in a squire, albeit an old one, he sat down next to her gloomily. Owen came over soon after and asked Kel to dance.

"I know you two are close friends but, Neal, I'm not going to let you hog the best girl at this ball," Kel blushed modestly and followed Owen onto the dance floor, after one dance Kel retired from Owen's company, her toes seriously regretting her accepting his offer. As the night wore on, she danced with many of the squires from their group as well as her knight master and her brother Inness.

At 11pm when all the squires were thoroughly worn out from dancing, and chatting as they pleased, Joren came to stand in front of Kel, she didn't notice him until he cleared his throat. She had been snoozing on Cleon's shoulder for the past 20 minutes or so. He asked her to dance. She couldn't refuse so she let him lead her tired body onto the dance floor, the dance they joined was a common one and she had learnt it as a page, and being the only girl she had to dance with every boy in the class, and knew it of by heart so she put her body onto automatic and slept until she was brought back by a cool breeze on her face, she opened her eyes to find herself on a bench on one of the balconies which were situated just outside the ballroom, she looked up and found herself staring into the beautiful eyes of Joren,

"Where am I?" Kel said groggily, "Why aren't we in the ballroom?"

"You looked dead on your feet, I thought a breath of fresh air might make you better," answered Joren, "I also wanted to give you this," and with that Joren kissed Kel and walked off back into the ballroom. Kel stared into space for a minute considering what had just happened, why did he suddenly start kissing her when no one was around? She resolved to talk to Neal about it.

  
  


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	3. Chapter 3

Okay, okay, you know the drill none of this is mine except for the plot so don't sue me for anything ok.

  
  


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The next morning Kel slept through to the first bell of the day which woke her up. She was very grouchy due to lack of sleep and for missing her exercises. When she got to breakfast, she saw the effect of the late night on all the squires. Neal basically slept through breakfast before Kel managed to wake him up properly, once they had given their trays into the servers she steered him into her room.

"Neal you know Joren..." she began nervously, unsure of what to say, but was cut of by Neal's drawl.

"Well yeah! Of course I do, it's, unfortunately, a bit hard not to, you know what I mean seeing we've been training for knighthood for how long? And seeing I started before you we have to add on an extra four months.." he didn't get any further in his procrastinating because Kel cut in on him.

"Ohh! Shut up Neal, I've got to tell you something that I don't understand. I am very unsure because of it. What I'm trying to tell you is that, well, Joren's been acting very strange lately."

"And the definition of strange is?"

"Ok, Joren keeps kissing me!"

"Yuk!!!"

"Tell me about it, and he won't even tell me why. One day he gave me this speech about having changed, he didn't pay those men for something personal reasons, just a favor for a friend, etcetera."

"And do you believe him?"

"No! I don't, well he might've changed but I am never going to trust that... that..."

"Blonde Pig!" Neal suggested hopefully, a nasty grin lighting his face.

"No, that creep who payed those men to put Lalasa through what she went through, you know, he admitted to paying them but he said he did it for Vinson of Genlith."

"Well that's something," commented Neal, "You know what."

"What?"

"I wouldn't trust that blonde pig as far as I could throw him."

"Neal, I know you're right but what should I do about the kissing thing?"

"Well, my dear," Neal drawled, "I think it's time to talk to someone who has more experience than I, for, though well educated as I am, I only have 20 years experience and in all my years I have never encountered anything of the like."

"And this someone is..?"

"Personally I think you should talk to Sir Knight Commander of the Kings Own, he could definitely help you sort out the situation."

"Ok, Neal. But if I do go and talk to Lord Raoul, you're coming with me."

"And, why, may I ask, must I come?"

"For moral support. I am going to need it, so will you come." Kel glared mutinously at her friend, promising, in her gaze, a horrible death if he refused to help. She knew he would help anyway but she wasn't thinking straight.

"Ok, just stop giving me that look, you're giving me the creeps."

"Thanks Neal." Kel lurched over to where her friend was sitting and hugged him. Before she let go of him, Kel was utterly overcome by a wave of fright. All this was so scary and confusing, she started sobbing into Neal's shirt. The room was silent of all talk for a while, while Kel sobbed. It was Neal who broke the silence,

"Kel, do you think you could stop saturating my shirt, I was kind of planning to wear it all day but I won't be able to at this rate. Not with you leaking tears all over it."

"Sorry Neal," she replied feebly, "It's just all too much."

"Even for the Yamani Lump, as Joren might put it."

"Yes, even for the Yamani Lump. And if you tell anyone that I was crying you'll pay for it. You know that I kick your bum in the practice courts. If you tell anyone, you will pay for it in bruises."

"Do we start now or later? I'd turn around if I were you, Kel." Kel got up and turned round, dreading what she would see. It was Cleon, staring at her like he'd lost something infinitely precious.

"Cleon," Kel whispered

"Yes," came his, hurt reply.

"It's not what it seems..." It took Kel a few minutes to explain what had happened, in the process having to explain all the Joren stuff. While Kel was explaining this to Cleon, Neal had slipped of, leaving them completely alone.

"Kel," Cleon whispered after Kel had finished explaining things, "Don't take me wrong but, truly, I have been meaning to do this for a long time." And with these last words he swept Kel up into his arms and kissed her passionately. It was a few moments after Cleon started kissing her that, apart from kissing him back, she realized that she wanted this to happen. The sudden realization also came to her that she was no longer in love with Neal.

Weeks passed and Kel and Cleon were getting closer and closer, though they never got any further than intense kissing. Kel again forgot the Joren thing and was truly happy again with not a care in the world.

  
  


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End file.
